Parton Estate Seeks Restraining Order Against Fired Nephew

Shes Alive, LLC, the entity managing Dolly Parton's estate, filed a complaint and requested a temporary restraining order against Bryan Seaver, the late singer's nephew and former head of security, in Davidson County, Tennessee court on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The filing, submitted by Parton's longtime manager Danny Nozell, alleges that Seaver engaged in a campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion aimed at extracting payment, with messages sent both before and after Parton's death on August 25 at age 80. Among the statements cited in the filing, Seaver allegedly wrote that he would "destroy the entire brand" if certain Dollywood business partners were not removed, threatened to launch a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton's brand partnerships unless paid, and wrote that "everyone needs to be worried about what I might do." The filing also quotes Seaver describing himself as "not an entertainment person" but "a killer." Nozell fired Seaver on September 15, ending roughly two decades in the role.